The Okayama city office is faced from the north

is the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...

in the

Chūgoku region The , also known as the region, is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 7,328,339 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban employment zone in the Chugoku region of western Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 700,940 and a population density of 890 people per km². The total area is . The city is the site of

Kōraku-en is a Japanese garden located in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture. It is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, along with Kenroku-en and Kairaku-en. Korakuen was built in 1700 by Ikeda Tsunamasa, lord of Okayama. The garden reached its modern ...

, known as one of the top three traditional gardens in Japan, and

Okayama Castle is a Japanese castle in the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture in Japan. The main tower was completed in 1597, destroyed in 1945 and replicated in concrete in 1966. Two of the watch towers survived the bombing of 1945 and are now listed by ...

, which is ranked among the best 100

Japanese castle are fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries and came into their best-known form in the 16th century. Castles in Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such a ...

s. The city is famous as the setting of the Japanese

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

Momotarō is a Folk hero, popular hero of Japanese folklore. His name is often translated as ''Peach Boy'', but is directly translated as ''Peach + Tarō (given name), Tarō'', a common Japanese given name. ''Momotarō'' is also the title of various books, ...

''. Okayama joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2016.

History

Sengoku period to Bakumatsu period

Before the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

, Okayama was one corner of a farm region and included a small castle built by the Kanemitsu. In the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

Ukita Naoie was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period. He was born in Bizen Province, to Ukita Okiie, a local samurai leader and head of the Ukita clan. He has historical reputation as one of , a nickname which he shared with Matsunaga Hisahide a ...

attacked Okayama and attacked the castle for the transportation resources and extensive farmland in the region. Naoie remodeled the castle, built the old Sanyo road to the central part of the castle town, and called in craftsmen both from inside and outside of

Bizen Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area that is eastern Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of western Japan.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Mimasaka no Kuni''" in . Bizen bordered Bitchū Province, ...

. Okayama became the political and economical capital of Bizen Province. In 1600,

Ukita Hideie was the ''daimyō'' of Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces (modern Okayama Prefecture), and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Son of Ukita Naoie, he married Gōhime, a daughter of Maeda Toshiie. Having fought a ...

, who was the son of Naoie and the lord of Okayama, lost at the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

. The next year,

Kobayakawa Hideaki (1577 – December 1, 1602) was the fifth son of Kinoshita Iesada and a nephew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was gained the rank of ''Saemon no Kami'' (左衛門督) or in China ''Shikkingo'' (執金吾) at genpuku and held the court title of ...

came to Okayama and became the feudal lord of

Okayama Domain 270px, Ikeda Akimasa 270px, Auditorium of the Shizutani School 270px, Kōraku-en was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now eastern Okayama Prefecture on the island of Honshu. It controlled all of B ...

. Hideaki died in 1602, however, ending the Kobayakawa line. Ikeda Tadatugu, who was the feudal lord of

Himeji Domain was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Harima Province in what is now the southern portion of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered around Himeji Castle, which is located in what ...

, became the next lord of Okayama. After this time, Okayama was ruled by the Ikedas until the latter part of the 19th century. Continuing its economic development, Okayama became one of the ten best large castle towns in Japan in the 18th century. The Korakuen Garden was developed by the fourth feudal lord,

Ikeda Tsunamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period. He was the head of the Okayama Domain. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)">DF 18 of 80">"Ikeda" at ''Nobiliare du Japon' ...

Meiji Restoration to World War II

On August 29, 1871, the new

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...

of the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

replaced the traditional feudal domain system with centralized government authority. Okayama became the capital of Okayama Prefecture. In 1889, Okayama City was founded with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. In the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

, a

San'yo Main Line is a former Japanese electronics manufacturer founded in 1947 by Toshio Iue, the brother-in-law of Kōnosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial, now known as Panasonic. Iue left Matsushita Electric to start his own busi ...

railroad and other local lines greatly enhanced the development of the city. The and were established in Okayama City. Okayama became a center in western Japan for transportation and education. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

began, Okayama city was a garrison city for the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

. On June 29, 1945, the city was attacked by the

US Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

with

incendiary bombs Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires. They may destroy structures or sensitive equipment using fire, and sometimes operate as anti-personnel weaponry. Incendiarie ...

. Almost all the city was burned, and more than 1700 people were killed. Okayama suffered terrible damage in the war, losing more than 12,000 households.

Since World War II

During Japan's economic boom of the 1960s, Okayama developed rapidly as one of the most important cities in the Chūgoku and

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

regions. In 1972, the

San'yō Shinkansen The is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Osaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan. Operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West), it is a westward co ...

began service between and stations. Two years later, Shinkansen service was extended to . In 1988, the

Seto-Ōhashi Bridge The is a series of double deck bridges connecting Okayama and Kagawa prefectures in Japan across a series of five small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Built over the period 1978–1988, it is one of the three routes of the Honshū–Shikoku B ...

was opened, and connected Okayama with Shikoku directly by rail and road. The city became a

core city In urban planning, a historic core city or central city is the municipality with the largest 1940 population in the present metropolitan area (metropolitan statistical area). This term was retired by the US census bureau and replaced by the term ...

in 1996 and a

designated city A , also known as a or , is a Japanese city that has a population greater than 500,000 and has been designated as such by order of the Cabinet of Japan under Article 252, Section 19, of the Local Autonomy Law. Designated cities are delegate ...

on April 1, 2009 with increased local autonomy. On March 22, 2005 the town of Mitsu (from Mitsu District), and the town of Nadasaki (from Kojima District) were merged into Okayama. This was followed on January 22, 2007 when the town of Takebe (from Mitsu District), and the town of

Seto Seto may refer to: Places *Seto, Aichi, production place of Japanese pottery and venue of Expo 2005 * Seto, Ehime, facing the Seto Inland Sea * Seto, Okayama, adjacent to Okayama, in Okayama Prefecture *Seto Inland Sea of Japan *Setomaa (''Seto ...

(from Akaiwa District) were merged into Okayama. Kojima, Mitsu, and Akaiwa Districts have all since been dissolved as a result of these mergers.

Geography

The city of Okayama is located in the southern part of Okayama Prefecture, which is located in western part of the island of

Honshū , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...

. The northern part of the city forms a corner of Kibi Plateau, which is a series of gentle hills, and includes the Asahikawa Dam, Okayama Airport, and a suburban residential area. The central urban area is located on the Okayama Plain in the south, which was formed by the transportation and sedimentation of two first-class rivers, the

Asahi River The Asahi River is a river in Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Squa ...

and

Yoshii River The Yoshii River is a river in Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Squ ...

, which flow into the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Ba ...

. To the south of the main urban area is Kojima Bay, which forms the scenic Kojima Peninsula overlooking the Seto Inland Sea.

Neighboring municipalities

Okayama Prefecture * Akaiwa * Bizen * Hayashima * Kibichūō * Kumenan *

Kurashiki is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 478,651 and a population density of 1300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kurashiki is located in the south-central part of Okay ...

Misaki Misaki (, "misaki") are a collective term for spirit-like existences in Japan like gods, demons and spirits, among other supernatural entities. Their name comes from a kannushi's vanguard. Summary Misaki are subordinate to the high-ranking di ...

* Setouchi *

Sōja file:Bitchu Kokubunji, zenkei.jpg, 270px, Bitchū Kokubun-ji is a Cities of Japan, city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 69,428 and a population density of 330 persons per km2. The total area of the ...

Tamano Tamano City Hall Aerial view of Tamano city center Shibukawa beach in Tamano is a city located in southern Okayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 55,889 in 27087 households, and a population density of 540 person ...

Climate

Okayama has a mild climate in comparison to most of Japan. It has the most rain-free days (less than 1mm of precipitation) of any city in Japan. It is ranked as the second driest and the fourth sunniest city in the Chūgoku region. The climate is classified under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between la ...

(''Cfa''). The local climate is warm enough throughout the year to support

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

trees. Okayama is often called "Land of Sunshine" because of its low number of rainy days per year.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Okayama is as follows:

Government

Okayama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

city legislature of 46 members. The city contributes 19 members to the Okayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between of the Okayama 1st District, Okayama 2nd District and Okayama 3rd District of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Local administration

Since Okayama became a

in 2009, the city has been divided into four wards (''ku'').

Economy

Agriculture

The city is located in the Okayama Plain, where rice, eggplant, and white Chinese chives are notable products. White peaches and grapes are cultivated in the mountainous, northern part of the city.

Industry

In 2005, the city's gross domestic product was 800 billion yen, nearly 10% of the GDP of

. Greater Okayama, Okayama Metropolitan Employment Area, has a GDP of US$63.1 billion as of 2010. The main industries are machine tools, chemicals, foodstuffs and printing. Kōnan, a district in the southern part of the city, is the most developed industrial zone.

Commerce

Okayama is the core of the Okayama metropolitan area, which includes the cities of

and

. The main commercial district is Omotechō, near

and

, and the area surrounding

Okayama Station is a major railway station in Kita-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The station is operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Okayama Station is one of the major intersections of railways in the Chūgoku region. All trai ...

. Omotechō has many covered shopping arcades. The headquarters of Aeon Corporation, a private English language school with more than 3,000 employees, is located in Okayama.

Education

Okayama University is a national university in Japan. The main campus is located in Tsushima-Naka, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture. The school was founded in 1870 and it was established as a university in 1949. In 2014, the university was selected as one of the 37 T ...

, founded as a medical school in 1870 and established in 1949 as a national university, is in the city. Today, Okayama University is Okayama's largest university, with 8 faculties and seven graduate schools. There are seven private universities, three

junior colleges A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

, 24

high schools A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

(16 public, eight private), seven combined junior high/high schools (two public, five private), 38

junior high schools Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes ...

(37 municipal, one national) and 93

elementary schools A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

(91 municipal, two private) in the city.

Universities

* Chugoku Gakuen University (private) * International Pacific University (private) *

Notre Dame Seishin University is a private women's college in Okayama, Okayama, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends ...

(private) * Okayama Healthcare Professional University (private) * Okayama Shoka University (private) *

(national) *

Okayama University of Science is a private university in Okayama, Okayama, Japan, established in 1964. It is predominantly a school of science and engineering. Notable events From 2015–2018, Okayama University of Science's operator, the group Kake Gakuen, applied for ...

(private) *

Sanyo Gakuen University is a private university in Okayama, Okayama is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban em ...

(private) * Shujitsu University (private)

High schools

* Okayama Asahi Senior High School * Okayama Gakugeikan High School * Okayama Hosen Senior High School * Okayama Ichinomiya Senior High School * Okayama Joto Senior High School * Okayama Sozan Senior High School

Transportation

Airports

* Okayama Airport, located in the northern part of the city, provides both domestic and limited international services *

Kōnan Airport is a public aerodrome located about south of Okayama Station in Minami-ku, Okayama, Japan. History The airport opened on October 13, 1962, as Okayama Airport. It had scheduled service by All Nippon Airways (Tokyo Haneda) and Toa Domestic Airli ...

, located to the south, has been a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport since the opening of Okayama Airport in 1988.

Railway

JR West's

is a major interchange, with trains from

, Sanin and San'yo connecting to the

. Local rail lines serving Okayama Station include:

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

–

San'yō Main Line The is a major railway line owned by JR Group companies in western Japan, connecting Kōbe Station and Moji Station, largely paralleling the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, in other words, the southern coast of western Honshu. The San'yō Shi ...

* – – – – – – Okayama – –

–

Akō Line is a railway line owned by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between Aioi, Hyōgo to Okayama, Okayama in Japan. A loop line off the Sanyō Main Line, the Akō Line commences at Aioi, is situated south of the main line approximately parallel ...

* – – Higashi-Okayama

–

Uno Line The is a Japanese railway line which connects Okayama Station in Okayama, Okayama, Okayama to Uno Station in Tamano, Okayama, Tamano, both in Okayama Prefecture. It is owned and run by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is also refer ...

*Okayama – – – – – (Hayashima Town - Kurashiki City) – – –

–

Seto-Ōhashi Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) in Japan which links Okayama Station in Okayama Prefecture with Takamatsu Station in Kagawa Prefectu ...

–

Tsuyama Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting and in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Stations All-stations and limited-stop services called operate over the line. In the "Rapid" column in the table below, "O ...

* Okayama – – – – – – – –

–

Kibi Line is a railway line in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The nickname used by JR West in maps and timetables is the . Stations All stations are in Okayama Prefecture. Rolling stock * KiHa 40 seri ...

*Okayama – – – – – –

Tramway

Okayama has kept an operational

tram system A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include seg ...

since the

. It is managed by

Okayama Electric Tramway is a transportation company in Okayama City, Chūgoku, Japan. The private company operates tram lines and bus lines. The company and its lines are officially abbreviated as . The company was founded in 1910, while its first tram line was ope ...

and offers two lines: the Higashiyama Main Line and the Seikibashi Line.

Bus

Seven bus companies provide service within the city limits: , , , , , , and .

Sister cities

Okayama is twinned with: *

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, United States (established on May 26, 1957) *

San José, Costa Rica San José (; meaning "Saint Joseph") is the capital city, capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of San José Province. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Costa Rican Central Valley, Central Valley, wi ...

(established on January 27, 1969) *

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

(established on April 28, 1972) *

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States (established on April 12, 1976) *

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

(established on April 6, 1981) *

Bucheon Bucheon (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul. Bucheon is the second most densely populated city in South Korea after Seo ...

Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous administrative divisions of South Korea, province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a list of provinc ...

, South Korea (friendship city since 2002) *

Hsinchu Hsinchu (, ), officially Hsinchu City, is a city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan that is not a special municipality, with estimated 450,655 inhabitants. Hsinchu is a coastal city bordering the Taiwan ...

, Taiwan (friendship city since 2003)

Media

The ''

Sanyo Shimbun The is a Japanese language daily newspaper published by . The company was founded on January 4, 1879. The newspaper is based in Okayama, Japan. The newspaper covers national and international news stories and also news from Okayama and neighborin ...

'' is the local

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

serving the greater Okayama area. There are six television stations serving the Okayama area and part of

Kagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Pr ...

. Three FM and three AM radio stations also serve the region. ;TV stations ;Radio stations

Sports

Okayama has many sports teams. In recent years,

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

team

Okayama Seagulls is a women's volleyball team based in Okayama city, Okayama, Japan. It plays in V.League Division 1. The club was founded in 1999. Honours ; V.League/V.Premiere League *Champions (0): *Runners-up (2): 2013-14, 2019–20 ; V.Challenge League ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club

Fagiano Okayama is a Japanese football club based in Okayama, the capital of Okayama Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Name origin ''Fagiano'' in Italian means "pheasant", and it is a reference t ...

have been established. In 2009, Fagiano Okayama gained promotion to the

J.League The , commonly a.k.a. shortened to the , and officially known as the for sponsorship with Meiji Yasuda Life, is the men's association football league in Japan. It is responsible for organizing Japan's major professional football tournaments, in ...

, the highest football league in Japan.

Local attractions

Handayama Botanical Garden The is a botanical garden located at 2-1319 Kitagata, Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan. It is open daily except Tuesdays; an admission fee is charged. The garden was founded in 1953 on a hillside site overlooking the city by the Okayama Waterworks. It w ...

Hayashibara Museum of Art The is an art museum owned by the Hayashibara Group, and located at 2-7-15 Marunouchi, Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan. It is on the site of a former guesthouse beside the inner moat of Okayama Castle. Its 6,832 square meter interior was designed by Ku ...

Kibitsuhiko Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the Ichinomiya neighborhood of the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It is the ''ichinomiya'' of former Bizen Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on the third weekend of October. Theshrin ...

* Kibitsu Shrine *

, known as one of the three best traditional gardens in Japan, lies south of the castle grounds. Kōrakuen was constructed by

over 14 years, and completed in 1700. *

, constructed in 1597. It was destroyed by bombing in 1945 during World War II but reconstructed in 1966. * Okayama Prefectural Museum * Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art * Okayama Orient Museum * Okayama Symphony Hall * Yumeji Art Museum

National Historic Sites

* Bitchū-Takamatsu Castle * Hata temple ruins Pagoda Site * Hikozaki Shell Mound *

Jingūjiyama Kofun is a Kofun period burial mound located in the Nakai neighborhood of Kita-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1959. Overview The Jingūjiyama Kofun is ...

* Magane Ichirizuka *

Mantomi Tōdai-ji Tile Kiln Site The is an archaeological site containing the remnants of a number of anagama kilns, from which the roof tiles for the Kamakura period reconstruction of the temple of Tōdai-ji in Nara were made. The site is located in the Seto neighborhood in H ...

Musa Ōtsuka Kofun is a Kofun period kofun, burial mound located in the Musa neighborhood of Kita-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a Monuments of Japan, National Historic Site of Japan in 1930. Overview ...

Ōdara Yosemiya The was a Shinto shrine located in the Ōdara neighbourhood of what is now Naka-ku in the city of Okayama, in the San'yō region of Japan. The shrine no longer exists, but its ruins were designated as a National Historic Site in 1927. History ...

ruins *Okayama Castle * Okayama Domain Ikeda clan cemetery *Former Okayama Domain Han School *

Ōmeguri-Komeguri Mountain Castle was an ancient castle (also known as a located in what is now the Kusakabe neighborhood of Higashi-ku, Okayama, Higashi-ku of the city of Okayama, Okayama, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. Its ruins have been protect ...

ruins * Onoe Kurumayama Kofun *

Shōda temple ruins The is an archaeological site with the ruins of a Hakuho period Buddhist temple located in the Shōda neighbourhood of what is now Naka-ku in the city of Okayama, in the San'yō region of Japan. The temple no longer exists, but the temple grou ...

Sōzume Tō The is an archaeological site with the ruins of an Asuka period Buddhist temple located in the Sōzume neighbourhood of what is now Kita-ku in the city of Okayama, in the San'yō region of Japan. The temple no longer exists, but the temple grou ...

* Tsukuriyama Kofun * Tsushima Site * Urama Chausuyama Kofun

Festivals

Every August since 1994 Okayama has seen the Momotarō Matsuri (Festival), which is an amalgam of three different festivals, including the 'ogre' festival, which is a kind of ''

Yosakoi Yosakoi () is a unique style of dance that originated in Japan and that is performed at festivals and events all over the country. The first yosakoi festival was held in 1954 in Kōchi, Japan, on the island of Shikoku. Yosakoi-style dancing has ...

'' dance.

Music

*Okayama Symphony Orchestra, performs at the Okayama Symphony Hall. *

Inryō-ji Inryō-ji ( is a Buddhism, Buddhist temple in Okayama, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It is also known as Inryo-ji, Inryou-ji, or Inryoji. It is a temple of the Myōshin-ji school of the Rinzai school, Rinzai sect in Japanese Zen. The t ...

, a Buddhist temple near the city centre, regularly hosts concerts.

Cuisine

Okayama has several traditional dishes. ''Barazushi'', a dish made with sushi rice, contains fresh fish from the Seto Inland Sea.

Kibi dango (Okayama) A is a type of wagashi sweet or snack with an eponymous reference to Kibi-no-kuni, an old province roughly coincident with today's Okayama Prefecture. It is made by forming gyūhi, a sort of soft mochi, into flat round cakes.Shinmura (1991), ...

() gel-like balls made from a powder of

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

and rice, are well known sweets from the area.

Notable people

Premodern

Eisai was a Japanese Buddhist priest, credited with founding the Rinzai school, the Japanese line of the Linji school of Zen Buddhism. In 1191, he introduced this Zen approach to Japan, following his trip to China from 1187 to 1191, during which he w ...

(Buddhist priest, 1141–1215) *

Kōan Ogata A ( ; ; zh, c=公案, p=gōng'àn ; ; ) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement from Chinese Chan Buddhist lore, supplemented with commentaries, that is used in Zen Buddhist practice in different ways. The main goal of practice in Z ...

(

Rangaku ''Rangaku'' (Kyūjitai: , ), and by extension , is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the countr ...

practitioner, 1810–1863) *

Hideie Ukita was the ''daimyō'' of Bizen Province, Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces (modern Okayama Prefecture), and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Son of Ukita Naoie, he married Gōhime, a daughter of Maeda Toshiie. Havin ...

(Military commander, 1573–1655)

Arts

Takashi Fukutani Takashi Fukutani (; February 4, 1952 – September 9, 2000) was a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his manga series ''Dokudami Tenement''. Early life and career Fukutani was born in the Saidaiji area of Okayama and was raised ...

(manga artist, 1952–2000) *

Masashi Kishimoto is a Japanese manga artist. His manga series, ''Naruto'', which was in serialization from 1999 to 2014, has sold over 250 million copies worldwide in 46 countries as of May 2019. The series has been adapted into two anime and multiple films, vi ...

(manga artist, 1974– ) *

Seishi Kishimoto is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for '' 666 Satan'', which was serialized in ''Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' from 2001 to 2007 and licensed by Viz Media in North America as ''O-Parts Hunter''. He has since completed four more manga seri ...

(manga artist, 1974– ) * Shigeru Nanba (painter, 1944– )

Politics

* Ichirō Aisawa (Member of the House of Representatives, 1954– ) *

Kenji Eda is a Japanese politician and member of the House of Representatives of Japan, House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan, Diet (national legislature). A native of Okayama Prefecture and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Minist ...

(Member of the House of Representatives, Secretary General of

Your Party is a Japanese parliamentary caucus consisting of Yoshimi Watanabe and Takashi Tachibana, later Satoshi Hamada after Tachibana forfeited his seat, in the House of Councillors. It was also a political party led by Watanabe from 2009 until its ...

, 1956– ) *

Satsuki Eda was a Japanese politician who was the first opposition member to serve as the President of the House of Councillors from 2007 to 2010. Eda had served for three terms in the House of Councillors before his election as president on 7 August 2007, ...

(Member of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...

, 27th President of the House of Councillors, 1941– ) * Seiji Hagiwara (31st, 32nd Mayor of Okayama, member of the House of Representatives, fourth Mayor of Mimasaka, Okayama, 1956– ) *

Tsuyoshi Inukai Inukai Tsuyoshi (, 4 June 1855 – 15 May 1932) was a Japanese statesman who was prime minister of Japan from 1931 to his assassination in 1932. At the age of 76, Inukai was Japan's second oldest serving prime minister, after Kantarō Suzuki wh ...

(Member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

, 29th

Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...

, 1855–1932) * Masahiro Ishii (5th Governor of Okayama Prefecture, Member of the House of Councillors, 1945– ) *

Yoshihiro Katayama is a former Japanese politician who served as the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications in the Kan Cabinet from September 2010 through to September 2011. He was the governor of Tottori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, pref ...

(Governor of Tottori Prefecture,

Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

, 1951– ) * Akihiko Kumashiro (Member of the House of Representatives, 1940– ) * Shigeo Takaya (33rd, 34th Mayor of Okayama, 1937– ) * Keisuke Tsumura (Member of the House of Representatives, 1971– ) *

Michiyoshi Yunoki is a Japanese politician and a member of the House of Representatives for the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. A native of Kurashiki, Okayama and graduate of Okayama University is a national university in Japan. The main campus is l ...

(Member of the House of Representatives, 1972– )

Literature

Suiin Emi , born , was a Japanese novelist and journalist. Born in Okayama into a ''shizoku'' (former samurai) family,Henshall, p. 21 he travelled to Tokyo to join the army but instead joined the Kenyūsha literary society and quickly became celebrated ...

(novelist, 1869–1934) *

Yōko Ogawa is a Japanese writer. Her work has won every major Japanese literary award, including the Akutagawa Prize and the Yomiuri Prize. Internationally, she has been the recipient of the Shirley Jackson Award and the American Book Award. '' The Memory P ...

(novelist, 1962– ) *

Hyakken Uchida was a Japanese author and academic. Biography Uchida was born in Okayama to a family of sake brewers whose business later went bankrupt. His real name is Eizo Uchida (内田榮造 ''Uchida Eizō''). He became a pupil of Natsume Sōseki in ...

(novelist, 1889–1971) *

Junnosuke Yoshiyuki was a Japanese novelist and short-story writer, and a member of the so-called "Third Generation of Postwar Writers" (第3の新人). Life Yoshiyuki was born in Okayama, Okayama, Okayama, the oldest child of author Eisuke Yoshiyuki, but his fam ...

(novelist, 1924–1994)

Entertainment

Angela Aki known professionally as , is a Japanese pop singer, songwriter and pianist. Biography Early life Aki was born in the small town of Itano in Tokushima Prefecture, in the mostly rural island of Shikoku. Her mother is Italian American and her fa ...

(singer-songwriter, 1977– ) (attended middle school in Okayama) *

Dorlis Dorlis (born February 23, 1982) is the stage name for a Japanese musician from Okayama, Okayama Prefecture. She started out in classical guitar, but at about age 17 became a street musician and dropped out of high school. In time, she became a jazz ...

(musician, 1982– ) *

Fujii Kaze is a Japanese singer-songwriter and pianist. Born and raised in Satoshō, Okayama, he began uploading piano covers of pop songs to YouTube at 12. Signed to Universal Sigma's Hehn Records, Fujii released his debut single, "Nan-Nan", in 2019 ...

(singer-songwriter, born June 14, 1997) *

Hiroto Kōmoto is a Japanese rock singer who has fronted bands such as The Blue Hearts, The High-Lows and The Cro-Magnons. Early life Kōmoto was born in 1963 in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture and graduated from the junior high school attached to the School of ...

(musician, 1963– ) * MISA (bassist for

Band-Maid Band-Maid is a Japanese Rock music, rock band formed in 2013, comprising singer Saiki Atsumi, guitarist/singer Miku Kobato, lead guitarist Kanami Tōno, bassist Misa, and drummer Akane Hirose. The band combines hard rock music with costumes mode ...

- October 15) *

Shinji Morisue is a Japanese gymnast and Olympic champion. The parallel bar skill Morisue is named after him. Early life Morisue hails from Okayama City and attended the Nippon College of Physical Education (now called Nippon Sport Science University). O ...

(former

artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different types of apparatus. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which assigns the '' Code of Points'' used ...

and TV personality, 1957– ) *

Riki Nishimura , known professionally as Ni-Ki (, ), is a Japanese singer and dancer based in South Korea. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Enhypen under Belift Lab, formed through the reality survival show ''I-Land'' in 2020. Career 2014– ...

(member of the K-pop boy group

Enhypen Enhypen (; ; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by Belift Lab. Formerly a joint venture between CJ ENM and Hybe Corporation, the group was formed through the 2020 survival competition show '' I-Land''. The group consists ...

, born 2005 ) * Miku Nishizaki (member of Ocha Norma, born 2006) *

Matsunosuke Onoe , sometimes known as Medama no Matchan (''"Eyeballs" Matsu''), was a Japanese actor. His birth name is Tsuruzo Nakamura. He is sometimes credited as Yukio Koki, Tamijaku Onoe, or Tsunusaburo Onoe, and as a kabuki artist he went by the name Tsuru ...

(actor and film director, 1875–1926) *

Etsuko Shihomi , now known by her married name , (born October 29, 1955 in Okayama City, Japan as ) is a Japanese actress and martial artist who appeared in several Japanese martial arts films and samurai film and TV productions of the 1970s and 1980s. Life a ...

(actress, 1955– ) *

Yukiko Takaguchi is a Japanese voice actress. Her biggest role was in the anime '' The Wallflower'' where she voiced Sunako Nakahara. Other major roles include Soreto in '' Fantastic Children'', Setsuko Ohara in '' Super Robot Wars Z'', Vante in '' Queen's Blad ...

(voice actor, 1974– ) *

Tomu Uchida , born Tsunejirō Uchida, was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Uchida chose the stage name Tomu, a transliteration of the English Tom, written in Kanji characters meaning "to spit out dreams". Biography Early career After leaving junio ...

(film director, 1898–1970)

Sports

* Noboru Akiyama (baseball player and coach, 1934–2000) * Yuko Arimori (athlete, 1966– ) *

Naoko Hashimoto Naoko Hashimoto (橋本直子 ''Hashimoto Naoko'', born July 11, 1984) is a Japanese people, Japanese volleyball player who plays for Il Bisonte Firenze. Career Hashimoto debuted with the senior national team in 2013. Clubs * Hisamitsu Springs ...

(volleyball player, 1984– ) *

Shigeaki Hattori was a Japanese professional race car driver and team owner based in the United States. As a driver, he competed in the CART and IndyCar Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. As an owner, Hattori owned Hattori Racing Enterprises, which ...

(racing driver and team owner, 1963–2025) *

Kinue Hitomi was a Japanese track and field athlete. She was the world record holder in several events in the 1920s – 1930s and was the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic medal. She was also the first woman to represent Japan at the Olympics. Biogra ...

(athlete, 1907–1931) *

Tsunenohana Kan'ichi was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Okayama. He was the sport's 31st ''yokozuna''. Career He was born . He made his professional debut in January 1910 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in May 1917. He won his first top divis ...

(sumo ''Yokozuna'', b. 1896) *

Masahiro Kawai is a Japanese former professional baseball infielder, who currently is a Coach (baseball), coach for the Yomiuri Giants. He played for 23 years in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), primarily with the Yomiuri Giants. Known for his defense and ...

(baseball player, 1964– ) * Issei Morita (baseball player, 1989– ) *

Maurice Ndour Maurice Daly Ndour (born June 18, 1992) is a Senegalese professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Brescia of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Ohio Bobcats and has represented the Senegalese national team ...

(born 1992) (Senegalese basketball player for

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's lead ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

) *

Hikaru Sato is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by the ring name . Sato started his MMA career in February 2000, fighting for Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling. During the next eight years, Sato fought, on average, five t ...

(wrestler and

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

, 1980– ) *

Hinako Shibuno is a Japanese professional golfer who won the 2019 Women's British Open. Early years Shibuno was born in Okayama, Japan on 15 November 1998. Her father was a discus thrower and her mother was a javelin thrower. She is the middle child of the ...

(golfer, 1998– ) *

Kiyoshi Tamura is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Once a student of legendary professional wrestlers Billy Robinson, Lou Thesz and Akira Maeda, Tamura was known for his skills in catch wrestling and is considered to be on ...

(wrestler, 1969– ) *

Hisashi Tsuchida is a former Japanese football player. Club career Tsuchida was born in Okayama on February 1, 1967. After graduating from Osaka University of Economics, he joined Japan Soccer League club Mitsubishi Motors (later ''Urawa Reds'') in 1989. He pla ...

(soccer player, 1967– )

Inventors

* Seiichi Miyake (inventor of

tactile paving Tactile paving (also called tenji blocks, truncated domes, detectable warnings, tactile tiles, tactile ground surface indicators, tactile walking surface indicators, or detectable warning surfaces) is a system of textured ground surface indicat ...

, 1926–1982)

References

External links

Okayama City official website

I Love Okayama - Okayama global brand
* {{Authority control Cities in Okayama Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan